MORE THAN 70 COUNTRIES WILL ANNOUNCE PLANS ON FRIDAY TO RESTART STALLED WTO NEGOTIATIONS AIMED AT DEVELOPING RULES TO REGULATE E-COMMERCE AND CROSS-BORDER DATA FLOWS.MORE THAN 70 COUNTRIES, LED BY AUSTRALIA, JAPAN AND SINGAPORE, WILL ANNOUNCE PLANS ON FRIDAY TO RESTART A STALLED WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (WTO) NEGOTIATION AIMED AT FORMULATING A SET OF RULES TO REGULATE E-COMMERCE AND CROSS-BORDER DATA FLOW, WHICH HAVE NOT BEEN UPDATED SINCE THE EARLY DAYS OF INTERNET DEVELOPMENT.THE MOVE REFLECTS THE GROWING CONCERN ABOUT THE "SPLIT NET", THAT IS, THE FRAGMENTATION OF INTERNET COMMERCE AND ONLINE INFORMATION FLOW ACROSS THE GLOBE. IT IS FEARED THAT THE INTENSIFICATION OF TRADE FRICTIONS BETWEEN CHINA AND THE UNITED STATES, AS WELL AS THE FUNDAMENTAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN CHINA AND THE WEST ON INTERNET DATA ACCESSIBILITY, MAY LEAD TO THE FRAGMENTATION OF DIGITAL TRADE.